The rallying cry within Daimler‘s Mercedes car division is to overtake long-leading BMW and formerly second placed Audi as the world’s newly crowned number one prestige carmaker

Adding credence to its unashamed big aspirations, with eyes focused on the global luxury car sales crown, AID compiled data reveals that at this year’s nine-months stage Mercedes has already bulldozed Audi into third place after vaulting into pole position during this year’s third quarter.

But Audi for one is not taking it lying down. Last month, according to AID’s latest 9-months statistical luxury car sales data, Audi reversed its losing sales streak in China by posting its first sales gain there after four successive months of shrinking sales.

After finding itself outsold not only by BMW, but also by fast-climbing Mercedes so far this year, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, asked to comment on the loss of Audi’s long-held runner-up slot on this year’s global prestige car sales stage, told AID “that’s no more than the blink of an
eye”...more